Apparatus for manufacturing reinforcing elements for concrete building elements



A ril 3, 1962 K. H. HELMERSON 3,027,558

' APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING REINFORCING ELEMENTS FOR CONCRETE BUILDING ELEMENTS Filed May 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 f mdmfirmm H56 2 INVENTOR KNUT HELMER HELMERSON BY ZMw/M ATTORNEY April 3, 1962 HELMERSON 3,027,558

H. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING REINFORCING ELEMENTS FOR CONCRETE BUILDING ELEMENTS Filed May 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.8

INVENTOR KNUT HELMER HELMERSON ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofitice 3,027,558 Patented Apr. 3, 1962 APPARATUS FOR MAiJUIiACTURING REINFORC- ING ELEMENTS FOR CONCRETE BUILDING ELEMENTS Knut Helmer Helmerson, Hampvagen, Skelleftehamn,

Sweden, assignor to Casius Corporation Limited, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed May 4, 1959, Ser. No. 810,892 Claims priority, application Sweden May 7, 1958 16 Claims. (Cl. 1-1) This invention relates to the manufacture of reinforcing elements for concrete building elements and more particularly to the manufacture of reinforcing mats for building elements of porous or cellular concrete.

In the manufacture of concrete building elements socalled reinforcing mats or lattices of crossing rods are frequently used. Particularly in the production of cellular concrete slabs it is preferred to use such reinforcing mats which consist of parallel metal rods, preferably iron or steel rods, held together by transverse, thin ribs or strips of wood, wood-fibre board or similar materials that can be sawn easily. Reinforcing mats of this type offer the advantage, when used as reinforcements in porous or cellular light-Weight concrete products, that they permit the said products to be cut up into smaller units by means of ordinary carpentry tools in a direction substantially parallel to that of the embedded metal rods.

It was previously considered necessary in the manufacture of such reinforcing mats to provide the wooden ribs or strips in advance with holes through which the metal rods could then be inserted when the reinforcing mats were assembled. However, the labor involved in. drilling such holes considerably increases the cost of the reinforcing mats and furthermore the old method of assembling such mats was time-consuming and expensive, particularly because much manual work was necessary.

It has now been found possible not only to avoid the preparatory boring of the transverse ribs or strips but also to greatly speed up the manufacture of the said type of reinforcing mats for cellular concrete slabs. The present invention, which has these objects in view, is primarily based on the fact that it has been found possible to force the metal rods directly through the wooden ribs or strips without providing the latter with holes in advance, and this invention provides a suitable apparatus for this purpose.

In accordance therewith, this invention relates to an apparatus for the manufacture of reinforcing mats composed of parallel metal rods, preferably of iron or steel, which are held together by spaced, transverse ribs or strips of wood or other material that can be easily sawn. This apparatus broadly comprises means for holding the ribs or strips of wood or the like in spaced relative positions on a support, means for forcing the metal rods in their longitudinal direction against and through the said ribs, and means in front of each of said ribs for directing the rods so that they penetrate and break through the ribs at desired locations.

The metal rods have to be cut to the required length before entering the apparatus and also the ribs have to be of a proper length and cross-section for which the apparatus is designed.

When employing metal rods having a diameter up to A of an inch and ribs or strips of wood or wood-fibre board material having a thickness in the direction of penetration of the metal rods'up to about of an inch, it has been found entirely satisfactory to accelerate the metal rods up to a speed of about 17 to 20 feet per second to insure that they properly break through the ribs or strips. If the diameter of the rods or the thickness of the ribs or strips is somewhat increased, a higher speed up to about '33 feet per second may become necessary.

The speed of the rods must, of course, reach the abovementioned values at every moment in which the end of a rod has to penetrate a rib or strip, and any surplus energy in each metal rod, after it has been driven through all the ribs or strips in question, may suitably be absorbed by a stop device.

It has been found that the reinforcing mats manufactured in accordance with the invention are not only cheaper but also more stable than reinforcing mats in which the metal rods are threaded in the usual manner through holes prepared in the ribs or strips in advance, and this is probably due to the fact that the material in the ribs or strips will always tightly clamp the metal rods driven through them. This increased stability in the reinforcing mats facilitates their subsequent handling.

In order to further explain the invention an apparatus embodying the same will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus equipped for manufacturing reinforcing mats,

FIG. 2 is a side view of the same apparatus,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial section taken along the line IlI-III in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial section taken on the line IV-IV in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view on the line V-V of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view on the line VI-VI of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is an end view of the apparatus seen from the right on FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged front view of the gear box.

FIG. 9 is a horizontal section through the gear box taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 7.

The apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 consists of a table 1 at one end of which two parallel, grooved rollers 2 placed one above the other are rotatably mounted and driven by a suitable motor 3. The straight metal rods 4, to be included in the reinforcing mat, are inserted from the right side of the table 1 and passed between the fast driven rollers 2 so as to be rapidly accelerated to the desired speed and momenttun. Spaced supporting devices or holders 5 are placed transversely across the table 1 in order to receive the wooden ribs or strips 6 to be included in the mats. The ribs or strips 6 are placed on edge in a channel or channel-like recess in each holder 5, so that they remain in their positions when the metal rods 4 are driven through them. On the short side of the table 1 opposite the rollers 2 a stop device 7 for the rods 4 is arranged. In front of each holder 5 seen in the direction in which the metal rods are driven forward, funnels or funnel-shaped guiding devices 8 are arranged to guide metal rods 4 on their passage through the ribs or strips 6. In the top surface of the table 1 a number of arms 9 are arranged in recessed positions, the said arms being hingedly mounted at one side of the table and provided with upstanding pins 9' which, when swung up from the table, serve to lift the finished reinforcing mat from the table top and place the mat on a transport truck or the like (not shown).

FIG. 3 shows in greater detail how the holders 5 for the ribs or strips 6 may be constructed. As may be seen, the holders 5 may consist of two angle-irons 10 and 11 respectively, placed above and on each side of a channellike recess forming an upwardly extending extension thereof, and being provided with notches or cuts 10 and 11' where the metal rods 4 have to pass. In the apparatus shown, new ribs or strips 6 may be fed up one by one from a magazine 12 below each holder 5 to the recess between the angle-irons 10 and 11 at each up and downmovement of a feeding slide 13 which is operated in a s amans suitable manner in combination with the upward movement ofthe arms 9 for the removal of a finished mat. There is nothing to prevent the ribs or strips 6 from being placed in the holders manually, however.

From FIGS. 3 and 4 it will also be seen that the guiding devices 8 for the metal rods 4 consist of small funnels 14 divided in their vertical axial plane and arranged to trap and guide along the metal rods running forward over the table. As shown, the two halves of each funnel 14 are mounted on pivoting arms 15 which may suitably be spring-loaded in order to normally hold the funnel-halves together but which can be separated on the downward movement of a roller 16 which is connected to the feeding slide 13 and is operated by a fork-shaped lever 17. The manner in which this magazine and funnel actuating lever is caused to execute its downward movement is,

of course, immaterial. It may for example be by means of a pedal, and anyone skilled in the art will easily realize how this lever movement can be coupled to the arms 9 so as to take place immediately before the arms 9 execute their upward movement in order to lift away the released reinforcing mat.

First of all the rib magazines 12 are filled with ribs of suitable cross-sectionaldimensions and length. Such filling of the magazines may take place, e.g. through the one endof each magazine which may be made open for such purpose, and it will be clearly understood that the desired number of ribs 6 are inserted in front of the spring-actuated feeder shown in FIG. 3 so that the ribs are urged towards the vertically movable slide 13.

It will also be necessary to make ready a number of metal rods of suitable diameter and length. The length of these pre-cut rods should be at least somewhat shorter than the distance between the pair of driving rollers 2 and the stop device 7 at the opposite end of the table 1.-

By the actuation by hand or footof a suitable control member, not shown, which is coupled to all the levers 17in the apparatus to accomplish a downward movement of the respective rollers 16 of the different magazines, all the slides 13 in the apparatus may be lowered so that the first rib 6 in-each magazine is received on top'of the related slide 13. Then the control member is actuated to restore the slides 13 to their original positions which causes one rib in each magazine to occupy a position as shown in FIG. 3 in the channel between the up-standing angle-irons 10 and 11.

The motor 3 of the rollers 2 is started now, and the desired number of metal rods 4 are inserted, one by one, or several ones at the same time, between the rollers 2 at desired locations indicated bythe circular grooves in the rollers. Thus they are engaged by the rollers and accelerated by them in the longitudinal direction of the apparatus. The insertion of ther ods between the rollers is preferably made by hand. 1 The rods should be manually guided outsidethe rollers 2,'at least until their forward ends have been received in the first series of funnels 8, the latter being, of course, now closed.- Due to the high acceleration imparted to the rods, they will easily penetrate the ribs and be pushed or thrown away from the rollers, so that they will finally abut against the stop device 7 before coming to a standstill.

When all the desired metal rods have been driven through the ribs, the mat is ready for being lifted away from the table. .-This.is accomplished by means of the arms 9 with their pins 9". In a manner (shownin FIGS. 2 and 6) the arms 9 are coupled to an actuating lever which can be actuated by the operator in such a manner that the arms9 are raised about their pivots at the one side of the table just when the control member mentioned before has been actuatedto again lower the slides 13 to bring up a 'new series of ribs. As will be understoodffrom the structural description, the roller 16 connected to. each slide 13 will,when being lowered, bring about an opening of the funnels 8, so that the metal rods are freed and the ready-made mat can be lifted away.

As soon as the arms 9 have been returned to their original positions, after having tilted over the mat just made onto a truck or the like, and as soon as the control member has been actuated to close the funnels 8 and deliver a new series of ribs by means of the slides 13, the operating cycle is repeated. From time to time it will be necessary to refill the magazine with ribs.

The levers 17, which are found at the outermost funneldevices in each series only, are here actuated via wires 18 running over guide wheels 19 to a common lever 20 which is actuated upon by a cam 21 secured to a shaft 22 running along the apparatus and ending in a gear box 26 which will be more closely described in connectionwith FIGS. 8 and '9. When this shaft 22 is turned half a revolution in a counterclockwise direction, the lever 20 for each series of funnels is forced to pull the wires 18 which in turn pull the levers 17 down to open the funnels 8. Since the levers 17- also actuate the magazine slide 13, which extends substantially the whole width of thetable l, this slide will transmit the movement to the intermediate funnel devices too, so that no lever is needed there.

The lifting arms 9 are raised by rotating a second longitudinal shaft 25 carrying one gear Wheel 24 for each arm 9. The gear wheel 24"engages a toothed portion 23 of the pivotedend of each arm 9. This second shaft 25 also ends in the gear box 26 at the end of the table 1 where the operator can conveniently stand to feed the iron rods between the rollers 2 (FIG; 7).

Within the gear box 26 the shaft 22 carries a partially toothed pinion 27 having projecting teeth. On the second shaft 25 'there is freely journalled a pulley 28 having a wire or rope 29 extending around its circumference. The

end of the wire "or rope 29 is secured to the pulley 28 asat 30, and the other end projects through the bottom of the gear box and extends downwardly to a pedal lever 31 mounted on the supporting structure of the table 1.

On the one side of the pulley 28'there is secured a partially toothed gear wheel 32. The teeth of this wheel 32 co-operate with the teeth of the pinion 27 in such a manner that the pinion 27 will be rotated in counterclockwise direction approximately half a-revolution during the very first part of rotation of the wheel 32 and pulley 28 in the clockwise direction. Since the teeth of the wheel 32 are countersunk in the circumference of the wheel 32, the remaining, smooth circumference portion of the wheel 32 will maintain the pinion 27 in rotated position during the subsequent rotation of the wheel 32. Such rotation of the wheel 32 is, of course, accomplished by depressing the pedal 31. V 1

A pin 33 projecting from theside face of the wheel 32 is arranged to abut fa lever 34-secured to the outermost end of the shaft 25, when. the wheel 32 has rotatedfar enough to first complete the desired rotation of pinion 27.

Consequently the shaft 25 will be rotated from this moment on and in turn raise the lifting arms 9 (FIG. 6).

When the completed reinforcing mat has been dropped away from the pins 9 as previously described,-the pedal 31 is released. The lifting arms are then returned by means of springs 3 5 (FIG. 6) and -by their own weight. This return movement of the lifting arms 9 will, of course, causethe shaft 25 to rotate in a' counterclockwise direction (FIG. 8) so'that the lever 34 is returned to its shown position. A-spring 36 placed between the lever 34 and the wheel 32 then causes the wheel 32- to continue its return rotation to shown position hence also turning the pinion 27back to its original'position. H I

As will be understood,'this mechanically operated systern wil automatically open the funnels 8 against thetension of springs 15', andsubsequently raise the lifting arms 9. Since the "magazine'slides 13 are'also coupled to the levers 17,;they will be actuated simultaneously. It should be understood, however, that various-operating systems What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for manufacturing reinforcing mats for concrete building elements of the type assembled of parallel metal rods held together by spaced, transverse, thin ribs of a material which saws easily, the said apparatus comprising, in combination, means for holding the ribs to be included in each mat in spaced relative positions on a support, means for forcing metal rods in their longitudinal direction through the said ribs, and means in front of each rib for directing the rods so that the rods penetrate through the ribs at desired locations.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for holding the ribs comprise supports projecting from a base structure, each support presenting a recess for receiving the related rib, the walls defining said recess having upwardly opening cuts for the passage of said rods.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a rib magazine is arranged under each rib holding support and a feeding mechanism is provided in combination with said magazine to discharge the ribs contained therein one by one into said recess.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein further means are provided for lifting away completed mats.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for forcing the metal rods through the said ribs include means for accelerating said rods to a speed between about 17 and 33 feet per second.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for forcing the metal rods through the said ribs comprise rollers between which the rods are received to be fed forwards.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said rollers are driven continuously.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said rollers are circumferentially grooved to guide said rods.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for directing the rods in front of each rib comprises a funnel, each of which is divided axially into two halves, said halves being movable towards and away from each other.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for forcing the rods through the said ribs are arranged at the one end of a supporting structure, stopping means for the rods being provided at the opposite end thereof.

11. In an apparatus for assembling reinforcing mats for use in cast building elements, each comprising a plurality of spaced parallel metal rods of precut length held together by a plurality of transverse ribs of a material which saws easily, the combination of a supporting structure, a pair of parallel rollers rotatably mounted, one above the other, across the one end portion of said supporting structure, both said rollers having a plurality of mating circumferential grooves for receiving between them in driving engagement the parallel metal rods to be included in each reinforcing mat to be produced, means for continuously rotating said rollers to accelerate the metal rods received between them and to throw said rods longitudinally towards the opposite end of the supporting structure, stop means for the metal rods at said opposite end of the supporting structure, said stop means being located at a distance from said pair of rod acelerating rollers which exceeds the precut length of said metal rods, a plurality of parallel, open channels for receiving each one of said ribs to be included in each reinforcing mat to be produced, said channels extending in spaced relationship across the top of the supporting structure between said rod accelerating rollers and said stop means and being defined by upstanding side walls having each a plurality of upwardly opening cuts, one for each metal rod to be driven through the ribs received in said channels.

12. In an apparatus for assembling reinforcing mats for use in cast building elements, the combination as claimed in claim 11, wherein a rib holding magazine is provided under each rib receiving channel on the supporting structure and wherein means are provided for raising ribs one by one from said magazine into said channel.

13. In an apparatus for assembling reinforcing mats for use in cast building elements, the combination as claimed in claim 11, wherein a number of spaced arms having pins thereon are hingedly mounted at one side of the supporting structure to extend transversely thereof under the level on which the metal rods are to be thrown and to lift, when swung up, the completed reinforcing mats away from the supporting structure.

14. In an apparatus for assembling reinforcing mats for use in cast building elements, each comprising a plurality of spaced parallel metal rods of precut length held together by a plurality of transverse ribs of a material which saws easily, the combination of a supporting structure, a pair of parallel rollers rotatably mounted, one above the other, across the one end portion of said supporting structure, both said rollers having a plurality of mating circumferential grooves for receiving between them in driving engagement the parallel metal rods to be included in each reinforcing mat to be produced, means for continuously rotating said rollers to accelerate the metal rods received between them and to throw said rods longitudinally towards the opposite end of the supporting structure, stop means for the metal rods at said opposite end of the supporting structure, said stop means being located at a distance from said pair of rod accelerating rollers which exceeds the precut length of said metal rods, a plurality of parallel, open channels for receiving each one of said ribs to be included in each reinforcing mat to be produced, said channels extending in spaced relationship across the top of the supporting structure between said rod accelerating rollers and said stop means and being defined by upstanding side walls having each a plurality of upwardly opening cuts, one: for each metal rod to be driven through the ribs received in said channels, and means at that side of each rib receiving channel which faces said rod accelerating rollers for guiding each metal rod through the related cuts in the channel side walls and hence through the rib received in each channel, said guiding means comprising a plurality of funnel members arranged in a row in front of each channel, each such funnel member having its wider end turned towards the roller end portion of the supporting structure and being divided axially into two closed halves which are movable laterally away from each other to release the metal rods received in and extending entirely through said funnel members and thus permit removal of the completed reinforcing mat, said rod accelerating rollers being adapted to throw each metal rod forwards through all the parallel ribs received in said transverse channels and further into contact with said stop means to let said rods clear the rollers during removal of the reinforcing mat.

15. In an apparatus for assembling reinforcing mats for use in cast building elements, the combination as claimed in claim 14, wherein a rib holding magazine is provided under each rib receiving channel on the supporting structure and wherein means are provided for raising ribs one by one from said magazine into said channel.

16. In an apparatus for assembling reinforcing mats for use in cast building elements, the combination as claimed in claim 15, wherein a number of spaced arms having pins thereon are hingedly mounted at one side of the supporting structure to extend transversely thereof under the level on which the metal rods are to be thrown and to lift, when swung up, the completed reinforcing mats away from the supporting structure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 264,684 Frye Sept. 19, 1882 451,062 Merritt Apr. 28, 1891 2,737,657 Miller Mar. 13, 1956 

